Cappuccino
by Kas
Summary: Usagi wants her man..or does she? Mamoru doesn't want this woman...or does he? Gosh darn it! Somethings gotta give.
1. Part A

~~~~~Cappuccino~~~~~  
  
By Kas  
  
  
E-mail: KasMiko@aol.com  
F & M SMR: www.geocities.com/shenkosky/mypage.html  
  
  
Genre: Romance with a touch of comedy. Fluff   
Rating: G or PG  
Season: SM  
Part: A  
Characters: Usagi & Mamoru  
  
Disclaimers: I own nothing!   
( All original Sailor Moon characters, Kiss the Cook stuffed   
teddy bears, and The Natural Miracle Bra, belong to all their   
respectful owners.)   
Except for the story idea itself. That's mine.  
  
Notes: You all should know by now that I have a new e-mail   
address. ( KasMiko@aol.com ) Use it!  
  
Now, I'd like to send a *big* hello out there to a few people:  
  
Brattyblonde, Gudgrl13, Rmdj1234, and Moon Angel.   
(May you all stay friends forever.)  
Lady Earth, Lita Hughes, and Kurisutaru.   
(PS. L Lady Earth, Moon Angel, and Kurisutaru are wonderful   
(upcoming) writers, so keep an eye out for their stories!)  
  
Believe it or not, each and every one of you helped me write   
this fanfic. Thanks guys!   
  
Warning:   
It's late at night and I'm on my second 20oz mug of   
cappuccino.  
( Hence the name. )   
It's past my curfew and I have nowhere to go.  
In short; I'm filled with caffeine and teenage Angst.  
Be afraid. Be *very* afraid.  
  
  
~~~~Cappuccino~~~~  
By Kas  
  
KasMiko@aol.com  
  
*******************  
  
"Oh. My. God…"  
"Ah! That's hideous!"  
"Yuck! Kill it, kill it, kill it!"  
"Egad!"  
  
With a sour look, Rei put the dress back in her shopping bag   
and frowned over at her friends.  
"Was any of that *really* necessary?" she wanted to know.  
Usagi allowed her vision to wander over to the bag concealing   
Rei's hideous orange dress and shuddered.  
"Darling, you could do *so* much better."  
Ignoring Minako's quick, vivacious laughter, Rei   
turned back to Usagi and pouted.  
  
With long charcoal black hair, fiery violet eyes and a sharp   
temper, Hino Rei could keep you on your toes.  
  
"I think it would have looked nice on me," she commented,   
still stinging over the price of what was so obviously a   
worthless dress.  
Whatever composure had been there was surely lost as Minako   
snorted and stepped between the two.  
"Rei-chan, even I couldn't have made that, that *thing* look   
good. You didn't stand a chance."   
Minako, bless her, had a healthy ego.  
  
Mizuno Ami, a small slip of a girl with quiet blue eyes and a   
shy disposition leaned over to finger the strapless, bluish,   
yellowish, type dress from inside the bag.  
"Rei-chan?" She asked in that lovely voice of hers.  
"Yeah, Ami-chan?"  
"What the hell were you thinking?"  
Taken aback, Rei merely dropped down onto her bed and, in a   
move not unlike a child ready to tantrum, she pouted.   
"I couldn't find ANYTHING!   
How am I supposed to go out with Yuuichirou-san tonight   
if I have NOTHING to WEAR?!"  
  
"Simple," commented a sleek looking black cat.  
Luna, graceful as ever, leaped in from the window to land   
smoothly on the edge of Rei's bed.  
"You don't go. You stay here with the rest of the girls and   
you all have practice."  
The idea had such merit to the feline that her crescent moon   
glowed slightly.  
"We may actually get in one *whole* practice that way."   
  
The abject horror on Rei's face was answer enough.   
Taking pity on the fiery priestess, Minako dropped down on the   
bed beside her and slung an arm around her shoulder.  
"You should have let us help," she informed her in a   
chastising tone, and completely overlooking the cats   
suggestion.  
  
"But, not to worry!"   
Minako, bless her, also had a way of changing topics like the   
wind changed direction.   
"The whole night won't be a complete disaster because I,   
Aino Minako, bought you something that will totally take the   
focus off that *ugly* dress!"  
  
"And may God help us if it ever grows up and attacks Tokyo."  
This comment was offhandedly thrown into the air by   
Kino Makoto.   
A tall brunette with flashy green eyes and a cheeky grin.  
  
At only five feet one inch, Aino Minako made a *big* impression.  
Lovely with her waist length blond hair and bright blue eyes,   
Minako had a disposition as cheery as her smile.  
Hopping off the bed she darted to one of the many shopping   
bags that littered Rei's bedroom floor.  
  
Minako searched through the mountain of bags for a few minutes   
before stopping suddenly.  
When her head came up from under the pile of bags she was   
laughing hysterically and holding up a stuffed teddy bear that   
read; 'Kiss The Cook'  
"Hey Mako-chan. I think this is yours."  
At Makoto's sheepish shrug, she threw the bear to the other   
girl and continued to dig through the bags.  
  
"Ah, ha!" She announced suddenly, and as Minako often did,   
she hopped back to Rei.  
Gleefully she threw the bag at the priestess and laughed.  
"Go ahead!" she urged.  
"Open it."  
Rei warily looked from Minako to the shopping bag, then back   
again.  
With Minako, you never knew.  
Cautiously, Rei opened the bag and peeked inside.  
She frowned down into the bag for a moment before reaching   
in to pull out a black piece of fabric.  
Suddenly, her purple eyes widened and, as if on fire, she   
yelped and threw the bag back to Minako.  
  
"What the heck! That *thing* moved!"  
Thoroughly freaked-out, Rei darted from the bed to stand   
beside Makoto, least the *thing* decided to attach.  
  
Minako sighed and eyed Rei as if she were a naughty child.  
"God girl. Get a grip."  
"Minako, it m-o-v-e-d." Rei had decided that, perhaps,   
if she stretched the word out to help full understanding dawn,   
Minako may just drop it to the floor and set it on fire.  
No such luck.  
  
"Of course it m-o-v-e-d.   
It cost so much because it m-o-v-e-s."  
Usagi lifted one blond brow and considered the bag.   
"What's in it?"  
"This!" Minako announced proudly before whipping out a black   
bra.  
The room was suddenly silent.  
  
"It moved?" Asked Makoto curiously.  
"Yes! It moved. It's creepy." Then as an after thought Rei   
added, "kill it."  
  
"And, why does it move?" Usagi wanted to know.  
Minako made a few exasperated sounds.   
"It's supposed to look natural."  
"And she couldn't use her real ones, because…………?"  
"Ugh!"  
"You know, that's actually a *really* good question.   
Why can't I use my real ones?"  
Minako pouted.   
  
"It's called the Natural Miracle Bra by Victoria Secret."  
Rei eyed the bra a moment before turning to Minako.  
"Burn it."  
  
  
"Well that was entertaining."  
"Yes. Very entertaining. Think she'll actually burn it?"  
"Knowing Rei-chan… definitely."  
"Hmmm," Makoto agreed. "She does like to burn things."  
Usagi grinned.  
"And it probably doesn't help that she doesn't need a lighter   
to do it."  
  
"Agreed. Hey, you planning on getting detention again Monday?"   
Usagi frowned.   
"I never actually, p-l-a-n it."   
"Yeah, yeah… Whatever.   
I just wanted to know what you're planning."   
Usagi shrugged, then smiled.   
  
"I *can* take a hint you know."  
"Oh, yeah. You're good at that."  
The sarcastic reply had Usagi beaming up at the other girl.  
"Alright Miss Subtle. What did *you* have planned for Monday?"   
  
"Huh? School?"  
Usagi stopped cold, her instincts going on full alert.  
"What are you up to?"  
"Nothing."  
  
At her friends disapproving frown, Makoto plowed on.  
"I just have this *little* thing to take care of…"  
"And you want *my* help?" Usagi finished for her.  
"Yes please."  
Usagi scrunched up her nose. "How little?"  
At this Makoto shrugged her shoulders and continued walking.  
  
"Oh, you know. The usual."  
"Mako-chan, our usual involves one of two elements.   
The normal element, and the girls-in-really-short-skirts and   
elastic element.  
That last element tends to be dangerous. And it chafes."  
"Not the second one, err… At least I don't think so."   
  
"Well, I… Wait a minute! Is this going to be illegal?"  
At Makoto's hesitant look Usagi held up both her hands.  
"No! Don't tell me! I don't want to know. Yet."  
"Well, if it is we couldn't get in *that* much trouble."  
Usagi frowned.   
"That's not what I meant.  
If it is illegal, I'll be wigged when I go to meet you tomorrow,   
and my mom always picks up on wigged."  
"Oh."  
"Are we going to steal a car?" Usagi wanted to know.   
"No."  
"Rats."  
  
  
Usagi strolled along the sidewalk at an even pace.  
With long, soft hair the colors of honey and pale alabaster   
skin, it was the perfect contrast to her vibrant blue eyes and   
thick, heavy lidded lashes.  
She had a quick, friendly laugh.  
And when, if, someone bothered to look a bit deeper,   
they found a striking brilliance shimmering in those baby   
blues of hers.   
With a pointed nose, a stubborn chin, and slashing cheekbones,  
she tended to look like a disgruntled fairy when enraged.  
A certain Chiba Mamoru found it absolutely adorable.  
  
Letting her feet guide her, Usagi found herself in front of   
the Crown Game Center.  
Her first thoughts were of Furuhata Motoki, the funny, sexy   
arcade guy.  
  
Her second thought, however, held a funky aftertaste.  
  
Chiba Mamoru, darn him.  
Idly she rolled her shoulders, a ball of tension had gathered   
between them suddenly.   
Well Usagi, she told herself.  
You have two options; keep on walking, or face your fears.  
  
Usagi nibbled on her bottom lip a moment, then, and without   
warning, she flipped around and kept on walking.  
It was, after all, such a pretty day.  
  
And why waste it inside of a noisy, arcade anyway?   
When that annoying little voice in the back of her head called   
her a coward, she didn't deny it.  
But it was Sunday!  
Day of mall strolling and illegal activity planning.  
Not soul crushing.  
Why should she subject herself to Chiba Mamoru on Sunday?  
Even God had taken a day off.  
  
Usagi glanced behind her and sighed as the arcade disappeared   
from her line of vision.   
And it wasn't that she couldn't deal with Mamoru, cause she   
could.  
It was just that she *really* didn't want to have all those   
crazy emotions running through her right now.  
And Lordy! If ever there was a man who could invoke crazy   
emotions, that mans name was Chiba Mamoru.  
  
He was perfect.  
From the very tips of that perfect charcoal black hair, to the   
tiniest perfect toe on his perfect torso.  
( Drool………)  
He was smart, so very smart.   
And sweet! She'd seen him with other people and the way he   
cared.  
That sudden love that had shocked and disturbed her the fist   
time she'd seen it.   
Shocked because she hadn't known he was capable of it.  
Disturbed because he'd never shown her any.  
  
Usagi rolled her shoulders and threw a lazy glance skyward.  
It was such a pretty day.  
The air was warm, the birds were singing, and she couldn't   
stop thinking about Mamoru.  
  
Ugh! Was it possible to lose your mind at fifteen?  
Maybe it wasn't too late, she reasoned.  
Maybe there was still help for her yet.  
I mean, there had to be a help line she could call.  
  
Yes, hello.   
My name is Tsukino Usagi, and I'm a Mamo-chan-oholic…  
  
Okay, so maybe there wouldn't be a help line or group therapy.   
But it got easier… Right?   
This pain would cease and her heart would mend and…   
  
Whoa! Back the ice-cream-covered-Mamo-chan-truck up!  
  
Who said anything about her heart?   
This was an infatuation at best! A childish fantasy really.  
This was no more then a simple crush.  
A rather large crush, but a crush non the less.   
Usagi made herself take a few deep breaths.  
  
The thought of love had sent her system on haywire.  
Imagine, her in love… with Chiba Mamoru? Ha!  
The thought was clearly preposterous.   
  
Okay, so he was hot. Even she could admit that.  
But one didn't base a lasting relationship on something so   
trivial.  
A few dates, maybe a fling, not that she was a flinging kind   
of girl.   
But that was what hot was for.  
Not love… Nope. Not her.  
  
Suddenly Usagi was entirely too uncomfortable with the word.  
Rolling her stiff shoulders she changed direction again.  
It wasn't that the word alone made her uncomfortable,   
she assured herself.  
It was merely that at her age, why want to be in love?  
Why would you want the hassle of having your heart broken by   
some tall jerk…   
Some tall non Mamoru type jerk.  
Usagi felt a headache coming on and didn't bother to fight it.  
  
They always won.  
  
Love! Ha! That couldn't be further from the truth.  
Mamoru. The cad!  
Why she'd rather strip him naked, dip him in tar, and feather   
him!  
Usagi did her best to ignore the quick punch of unexpected   
lust.  
  
And where had that come from? she wanted to know.   
A month ago she could have written a two thousand   
word essay on the pros and cons of dipping Mamoru in hot tar.   
Nothing naughty would have crossed her mind.  
Well, almost nothing.  
She did, after all, have a pulse.   
  
Usagi stopped walking long enough to look up and gasp.  
Her feet had taken her right back to the arcade.  
"Traitors," she muttered at them half heartily.   
In truth, she was much too busy being nervous to do much else.  
  
When she spotted him through the glass doors her heart began   
to beat painfully in her chest.  
He was just sitting there in that ugly green blazer of his.  
With a textbook in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other   
he looked, for all the world, the devoted collage student.  
  
She wasn't in love, she assured herself.  
No one sane could possibly be in love with someone who had   
such obviously horrible fashion sense.   
  
And she'd prove it!  
  
Moving with all the grace of a military soldier,  
Usagi marched through the sliding doors and right up to the   
counter.  
Right up to Mamoru-san.  
He lifted one elegant eye brow and sneered.  
  
"Well, if it isn't the odango atama. What drug you in?"  
When he got no response he set his book down to give her his   
full attention.  
She looked…angry, he realized.  
It was hardly the first time she'd looked at him that way.  
With her eyes flashing a bright liquid blue, and her lips   
pulled into a strait line.  
He was actually quite used to that look, but something,   
he couldn't put his finger on what, had changed.  
  
"Err…… Odango?"  
"Shut up!"   
It wasn't the forceful order that had him going silent,   
or the way her eyes blazed a startling blue, it was, however,   
the fact that she'd ruthlessly pulled him up out of his chair   
and planted her lips on his.  
  
Well I'll be damned……  
  
And that, my friends, was the moment of truth.  
She could have died, literally, from the feel of his lips on   
hers.  
Give her sweet surrender now, because it simply wouldn't,   
couldn't, get any better then this!  
After this *one* pivotal moment, nothing could ever amount up   
to it again.  
It should have scared her, this blinding punch of lust driven   
love.  
  
Vaguely, she realized that she could hear music.  
Not just the violins that most claimed to hear when they   
kissed their one and only, but the whole damn orchestra had   
shown up!  
  
Her pulse was fluttery, her palms sweaty, and her body was as   
lax as the melting wax on a burning candle.   
Later, much, much later, she would look back and realize that   
she *had* been in *his* arms.  
And not by accident, or her own doing.  
Nope, this was all on Mamoru.  
  
She'd take full credit for the kiss, but she'd never take   
credit for him wrapping her up in those strong arms of his.  
Nope, all his fault.  
  
Somewhere through the thick haze that clouded her vision,   
she realized that she had completed her mission.  
She'd gotten her answers, no matter how distressing they were.  
She'd even had some serious fun doing it.  
But it was going a *wee* bit past the required time limit.   
  
And Mamoru, much to her ever lasting astonishment, didn't   
appear to be letting go of her any time soon.  
Usagi sighed and lifted her head a fraction to better savor   
the rich dark tastes.  
He tasted slightly dangerous, in a highly tangible sort of way.  
Usagi fought to keep herself from slipping back into the kiss.  
All good things must come to an end, she knew, and this was no   
exception.  
  
It was only a matter of time before one of them fully realized   
the situation at hand.  
She was determined to be the first.  
He could always get her for kissing him, but she could always  
counter back that she'd been the one to break it off.   
That was something.   
And right now her heart was battered and in need of something.  
  
Suddenly, it did dawn on her.  
She was in love with Chiba Mamoru.  
She was lip locked with Chiba Mamoru. In an arcade.   
With everyone staring at them…  
  
Rather then the first or third, it was the second that had her   
pulling away and struggling out of his arms.  
It would appear, however, that Mamoru was anything but   
unaffected.  
Well, score one for the good old ego.  
After all the beatings he'd given it, this was a well deserved   
victory.  
  
Unfortunately he was coming around, slowly realizing what was   
going on.   
She could all but see his brain working behind those placid   
blue eyes of his.  
She may have been brave enough to face him in front of all   
these people.   
She may have been brave enough to track him down and kiss him.  
But now that his eyes were beginning to focus, and the people   
were beginning to murmur, Usagi was realizing exactly what   
she'd done.   
  
Slowly, she began to back out of the arcade.  
Sparing one last glance at Mamoru, she flipped on her heel   
and tore out of there as though the very hounds of hell were   
on her feet.   
Oh. My. God… What have I done?!  
  
  
Mamoru was wondering the same thing as he stood watching the   
double doors slide shut in her wake.  
What *had* she done?  
Suddenly his pulse was erratic, his lips were tingling, and   
his arms felt strangely empty.  
  
Mamoru continued to stare at the door even as Motoki tapped   
him on the back.  
"You okay? You look like she just ran you over with a truck."  
Mamoru shrugged, not really listening.  
  
Usagi had kissed him. Him!  
  
"You want to sit down or something?   
Jeez Mamoru. You're white as a sheet."  
"She kissed me Motoki."  
Motoki nodded dumbly. He'd seen alright…   
And whoa! What a kiss.  
For a moment he'd been afraid they'd defy all logic and set   
the place on fire.  
"You sure you don't want to sit down.   
You're probably a little winded…"  
Mamoru made a choking sound before breaking into a bout of   
hysterical laughter.  
"She… She…"  
Motoki frowned over his friend a little.   
Could it be possible that one kiss could make you flip?  
"K… Kissed me………" Mamoru finished on a chuckle.  
"Yes, Mamoru-san. Usagi-chan kissed you."  
Suddenly Mamoru spun around on Motoki.  
  
"Do you have *any* idea what this means?!"  
Motoki bit his bottom lip a moment.   
"No. Not really."  
  
"Motoki, she doesn't hate me!"  
Motoki rolled his shoulders and sighed.   
Mamoru didn't *look* crazy.  
"No I don't think she does. Never thought that actually."  
Mamoru nodded dumbly for a moment.   
"I *am* a moron," he announced suddenly.   
And without warning, turned in the direction of the sliding   
doors.  
  
"Hey, where you going?" Motoki wanted to know.  
Mamoru merely slid him a glance and continued walking.  
"I have some serious butt kicking to do.  
  
Namely, my own."  
  
  
"You did WHAT?!"  
Mortified, Usagi threw herself down onto Makoto's sofa.  
"Just shoot me now."   
"Oh, no." Makoto shook her head vigorously.  
"There's no easy way out of this. You're toast, girl."  
Usagi threw an arm over her eyes to block out any and all   
light.  
"What *am* I going to do?"  
Makoto shrugged.  
"Maybe you could change your name to Sophia and live out the   
remainder of your life as a Italian wine maker?"  
  
"No," Usagi disagreed hastily.   
"I don't think I could deal with yet, ANOTHER secret identity.  
Makoto gave an understanding grunt of agreement.  
"You could always own up to it.   
Go up to him and tell him how you feel."   
This comment gained her nothing but a few choice words she'd   
rather not repeat.  
  
"Okay. Guess that's out…"   
  
Usagi rolled over onto her stomach and buried her head under   
the lounge pillows.  
"I'll never be able to live this down."   
Makoto sat on the arm of the couch and debated about whether   
or not she should tell Usagi that the pillow she currently   
clutched was Trooper's. Her pet pooch.  
Probably not a good time.  
  
"Listen honey, this will all go away. Give it some time and…"  
"Go away? How will this ever go away?   
The only way to make this go away is for me to go away."  
As an after thought she added, "and I don't want to go away."  
  
Makoto ruffled Usagi hair in sympathy.  
However, the act of friendship lost its effect when Makoto   
burst out laughing.  
  
"What?" Usagi wanted to know.  
"I just… I… I… can't… You, you kissed Mamoru!"  
"Makoto!"  
"Sorry…"  
  
  
For the next few days, Usagi did her best to stay away from   
Mamoru-kun.  
It had involved babysitting and bribing, but she'd managed it   
for three whole days now.  
Sluggishly, she trudged into her room at the pace of a sloth.  
  
She smelled of burnt baby food and dribble.   
Idly, she wondered if dribble even came out.  
Then she realized that it hardly mattered, because she was   
never leaving her room again.  
Lucky, her young cousin, had proven himself a handful.  
Even two year old Janet hadn't stood a chance against the five   
year old terror.   
  
Usagi glanced at her bathroom door and considered the funky   
smell coming from her sneakers.  
Feeling positive that whatever was making the smell, or the   
squish, squish noises, was a gift from Lucky.   
Usagi decided it best to investigate tomorrow.  
Flopping onto her bed with all the grace of a beached whale,   
Usagi let her feet hang of the edge as she dozed.   
  
And wouldn't you know it, no sooner had she fallen asleep   
then a strange beeping started.  
  
Groggily, she opened one unfocused eye and cursed the air blue.  
Why was it that the enemy always attacked when she was half   
asleep?  
  
Why couldn't they just suck the energy out of people at a   
decent hour like nice, considerate monsters?  
At the ungodly hour of one in the morning, Usagi stumbled out   
of bed and over to her dresser.  
  
Pulling open her underwear drawer she fumbled around until her   
hand landed on a round object.  
Shaking the cobwebs from her brain she held up the brooch and   
called out, "Moon Prism Power Make Up!"  
Within moments she was leaping from building to building as   
the powerful Senshi, otherwise known as Sailor Moon.  
  
  
Mamoru jerked awake in a fresh bout of pain.  
There it was again, that calling that stirred the blood and   
pulled him out of sleep.  
Grunting and cursing he stumbled out of bed and towards the   
balcony.  
He was fully awake within seconds and jumping from building to   
building as the dashing Tuxedo Kamen.  
  
Venus surveyed the worst of it with a clinical eye.  
"There's a creepy crawly at the center of the park."   
Sailor Venus smiled brightly. "Who goes with who?"  
  
"I'll take the trees, Sailor Jupiter, you get to come with me."   
Sailor Moon's order had the girls falling in-line after her.  
"Teachers pet." Mars joked with Jupiter in hopes to lighten   
the mood.  
"Pyromaniac," Jupiter taunted back.  
  
"Has anyone gotten a good look at it?" Moon wanted to know.  
"I mean, just how *ugly* is she?"  
Sailor Mercury was furiously typing away at her mini computer.  
"I'm trying to get a lock on her right now, Sailor Moon."  
Flipping blue bangs out of her eyes she continued in a neutral   
voice.  
"I can't get a real reading on her, however, she appears   
Jell-O like in substance."  
  
Jupiter gave a whoop of approval.   
"Those are the *best*."  
"Yeah," piped in Venus.  
"They jiggle……… A lot!"  
"Plus they *really* burn." Rei's comment was wisely overlooked.   
  
"O-kay…" Sailor Moon slid easily into her attack stance.  
"Sailor Mars, you and Sailor Venus take the right.   
Me and Sailor Jupiter will take the left."   
Sailor Moon turned to Mercury.  
"Do you think you can find out how to kill it?"  
Mercury typed a few more things into her mini computer.  
"I suspect so, however, it shall take me a short period of   
time to do it."  
Moon nodded and turned back to the others.  
"Sailor Mercury will try and gather what information she can.   
In the mean time keep an eye out for her.  
  
Okay, let's get to it."  
  
With Jupiter right behind, Sailor Moon took off in the   
direction of the creature.  
It didn't take long.  
"Oh. My. God……" Moon's head jerked up at Jupiter's sudden   
outburst.  
When she turned to see what the other warrior was staring at,   
her eyes all but fell out.  
  
Mimicking Jupiter's slack jawed look of awe, Moon merely stood   
there. Watching.  
The scene before her was enough to make even the most level   
headed of them stare in wonder.  
Moon knew this because Mercury's "Egad!" could be heard from   
forty feet away.  
  
Blinking a few times she took a step closer, then retreated   
again.  
Was she seeing this right?  
There, less then ten feet away, stood a girl of 5'2  
She looked… Normal…… Err, except that for the fact that she   
was made completely out of pink, Jell-0 like goo…   
  
Well, that and the fact that she was stomping all over Zoisite.  
  
The enraged general was cursing and throwing bolts of blue   
energy everywhere.  
The girl, however, didn't seem to notice.  
"And how dare you lead me on!"   
continued the pink Jell-O like lady.  
  
"If you think I'll stand for this, this atrocious deception…   
Oh, boy! Have you got something else coming!"   
  
"hmmm, Sailor Moon?"  
"Yeah?"   
"What do we do?"  
"I have *no* idea."  
Sailor Jupiter nodded dumbly.  
"She looks mad at him."  
"You think?" The sarcastic remark went unanswered as   
Jupiter raised both arms in a fighting stance.  
  
"We should probably fight them."  
Moon nodded. "Probably."  
Suddenly Jupiter dropped both her arms and stepped back.  
"I really want to see what happens though…"   
"Yeah. I bet she takes him."  
Jupiter beamed.   
"I bet you're right. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."  
"Uh, huh… And pink Jell-O lady looks m-a-d…"  
  
"How dare you use MY feelings in such a disgraceful way!"  
  
Sailor Moon wiggled her eyebrows and stepped a bit closer.   
"I bet I know what he did…" She taunted in a superior tone.  
The green superhero smiled back. "Me too."  
  
**********  
  
*******  
  
****  
  
Okay everyone. That's it for part A.   
No, don't worry about me not sending in part B.   
(Only two parts to this short story my friends.   
Part A & B )  
Part B is already finished, but I wanted to stretch   
the story out some.   
If all you nice, considerate people e-mail me with you're   
praise, and not your criticism, I'll send in next weeks story   
for next week.  
And if some of you fall to your feet in awe of me, I'll send   
you part B.  
  
Oh, you guy's like that idea don't you.  
  
Just remember to e-mail me at my NEW address, (KasMiko@aol.com)  
I no longer check the old one.   
  
  
Kingen,  
* Kas *  
  
F & M SMR:  
www.geocities.com/shenkosky/mypage.html  
  
AOL Screen Name:  
KasMiko or Kas Miko  
  
AOL E-mail:  
KasMiko@aol.com or  
Kas Miko@aol.com  
  
  
* 4/6/01 *  
  



	2. Part B

~~~~~Cappuccino~~~~~  
  
By Kas  
  
  
E-mail: KasMiko@aol.com  
F & M SMR: www.geocities.com/shenkosky/mypage.html  
  
  
Genre: Romance with a touch of comedy. Fluff   
Rating: G or PG  
Season: SM  
Part: B  
Characters: Usagi & Mamoru  
  
Disclaimers: I own nothing!   
( All original Sailor Moon characters, Kiss the Cook stuffed   
teddy bears, and The Natural Miracle Bra, belong to all their   
respectful owners.)   
Except for the story idea itself. That's mine.  
  
Notes: You all should know by now that I have a new e-mail   
address. ( KasMiko@aol.com ) Use it!  
  
  
Warning:   
It's late at night and I'm on my third 20oz mug of cappuccino. ( Hence the name. )   
It's past my curfew and I have nowhere to go.  
In short; I'm filled with caffeine and teenage Angst.  
Be afraid. Be *very* afraid.  
  
  
~~~~Cappuccino~~~~  
By Kas  
  
KasMiko@aol.com  
  
*******************  
  
  
From across the park, some fifty feet away,   
Moon could see both Mars and Venus watching the show in   
fascination.  
"Well Jupiter," she said. "It looks as though we're in for a   
l-o-n-g night."  
Jupiter merely nodded and leaned against the nearest tree as   
pink Jell-O lady beat the tar out of Zoisite.  
  
"Maybe she'll kill him…"  
Moon nodded and considered dozing.  
"It would save us the trouble."  
"…And another thing you two timing *censored*…………Piece   
of… ………*censored*…………I'll be sure to kick the ………   
*censored*……… *censored*………out of your *censored*………"  
  
Moon blinked a few times and ran her tongue over her teeth.  
"Well…… That was……… colorful."  
"Hmmm. I didn't see that last one coming."  
"Nope. She's very creative."   
"Yes. Very."  
  
"Hey!"  
Moon turned to see both Mars and Venus running up to them.  
"Can you believe this?" Venus wanted to know.  
"I mean, we're all safe and warm in our beds and they drag us   
out with their bad vibes just for a lovers spat?  
How inconsiderate is that?"  
Moon rolled her stiff shoulders, and considered.  
"You know guys, for as entertaining as this is, and it IS   
entertaining." Moon made sure to higher her voice in order   
to be heard over the cussing coming from a few feet away.   
  
"It's getting kinda late, and I have another early day tomorrow…"  
"Plus it's still a monster," added Mars.  
"So we *should* burn it."  
Moon nodded half heartily.   
"Fine. Let's just get this over with."  
  
As if on queue, Zoisite stood up… slouched really, and   
in a move not unlike a coward, he screamed like a girl and   
disappeared before their very eyes.  
Thus leaving a very enraged pink Jell-O like lady.  
She turned on them with obvious intent.  
  
"Um, guys?"   
"Hmmm?"  
"Does anyone here actually know how to kill it?"  
When no one answered, all four simultaneously turned to the   
trees and called, "Mercury!"  
There was nothing but silence for a few moments before an   
"I'm working on it!" came back.   
  
Moon turned back to pink Jell-O like lady and frowned.  
"Guess we're just going to have to wing it."  
Sluggishly, the senshi agreed.  
Pink Jell-O like lady eyed them with a detached cruelty before   
rearing back and throwing pink Jell-O like goo at them.  
  
Moon got splattered with the pink substance and grimaced.  
"Great, more funky smelling sticky stuff."  
She made a move to simply wipe the dripping goo off her fuko   
before she realized her mistake.  
When bits of pink Jell-O like goo dripped onto her bare leg,   
she gave a startled cry of pain.  
  
The goo burned like acid!  
  
"This stuff burns you guys. Don't let it touch bare skin."  
  
When the monster reared back a second time the girls were a   
bit more prepared.  
Both Mars and Jupiter powered up their own attacks and let   
loose in a rainbow of bright green and red.  
  
Venus stepped forward and threw her chain as Moon readied her   
tiara.  
The monster dodged both Jupiter and Mars's attacks in a great   
show of agility.  
  
She then stood absolutely still as Venus's chain circled   
around her.  
Thinking they had her just where they wanted her, the girls   
stepped closer until Moon noticed that the monster didn't look   
the least bit distressed.  
  
Halting them with a look, she waited as the monster smiled and   
stepped right through the chain.  
Venus gave a cry of outrage and tapped her foot against the   
ground.  
"How dare that pink tart do that!"  
"Cool it Venus," advised Mars wisely.  
"She's not nearly as helpless as she looks."  
Pouting now, Venus agreed reluctantly and stood down.  
  
Moon dashed to the bushes as the pink Jell-O like lady threw   
another round of goo.  
Her dash, however, was ill timed, for splatters of pink goo   
stuck to her arm like putty.   
  
Hollering in pain, she rubbed her arm against the grass in   
hopes to get the burning acid off.  
"Need some help?" Asked a mysterious voice from behind her.  
Moon looked up and gasped as Tuxedo Kamen bent beside her.  
Carefully, he took her arm in his gloved hands and wiped at   
the substance with his cape, however, the goo wouldn't budge.  
  
When the next round of pink goo came flying,   
Tuxedo Kamen threw his cape around Sailor Moon to protect her   
and himself.  
  
She did her best to ignore the burning on her arm…   
But GOD! It *really* hurt!  
"Would someone kill it already?!"  
Moons pain filled order was overlooked as Venus gave a screech   
of shock.  
"Must have got her too," Moon mumbled to no one in particular.  
  
She hissed as her arm grazed the bush and cursed like a sailor.  
Tuxedo Mask wisely overlooked her sudden outburst and instead   
bent to help her up.  
Sailor Moon concentrated on the pain in her arm, perhaps if   
she concentrated hard enough, it would cancel out the quick   
knee-jerk reaction to him.  
  
The very last thing she needed now was to have all these   
romantic feelings for her savior.  
  
God, could she pick 'em or what?  
  
The cool remote collage student or the pleasantly aloof   
superhero.  
Why not just give her an arranged marriage to someone who   
lived in America, for Peat's sake!   
She'd see him more often.  
  
Feeling downright ticked at the whole world, Moon decided to   
take it out in a constructive manner.  
And what, I ask, is more constructive then ridding the world   
of one more Jell-O like goo lady?   
  
At the moment, Moon couldn't think of a thing.  
Sliding into her attack stance as easily as some slid into bed   
at night, she locked eyes with the monster.  
Pink Jell-O like lady's eyes were pinkly detached as the   
readied another bout of goo.  
  
"Oh, no you don't." And with that Moon lifted her hand to her   
tiara, said the magic words, and let it rip.  
The tiara hit the very heart of the Jell-O like lady, making   
her give a piercing screech.  
  
For a moment the monster merely looked at them, just looked.  
Then, and without warning, she threw back her head and  
disintegrated.  
Moon stood there a moment, tired and longing for a hot bath.  
When tuxedo Kamen made his move to leave, Sailor Moon stopped   
him.  
"Don't bother!" She called.  
"For once, I want to be the one to walk away first."   
And with that, she did.  
Turning on her heel she left in the direction of home,   
disappearing behind tress and into the shadows.  
  
The girls and Tuxy stood there a moment wondering what to do   
next when a harassed looking Mercury jumped form the trees.  
"I've got it!" She announced proudly, waving her mini computer   
around.  
Suddenly she stopped and looked about the park in curiosity.  
"Hey! Where's the monster?"  
  
  
Usagi climbed under the soft covers of her bed and wished   
herself a million forms of oblivion.  
Her life couldn't have been much more confusing if God himself   
stepped through her bedroom window.   
Usagi closed her eyes and hoped the headache that drummed in   
the back of her head would pass quickly.  
She needed to get up for school tomorrow and that wasn't   
looking promising.  
Her arm was throbbing, her head was pounding, and her heart   
was aching.  
  
Why not just jump off a cliff and let the masses rejoice?   
She was tired in mind, body, and spirit.  
Mamoru… The name alone was like a whisper on the wind, soft   
and fleeting.  
God, it hurt. It actually HURT!  
She was terrified of seeing him, of showing her face and   
having it laughed at, such was the mans style.  
But this, this insistent need for him was killing her slowly.   
  
She MISSED MAMORU!  
Missed his smile, that quirky smile he only bestowed upon her.  
Missed the way he'd tease her relentlessly and annoy constantly.  
She missed his outrageous ego and adorable charm.  
She just missed *him*.  
  
Usagi frowned as visions of Tuxedo Kamen filtered through her   
foggy brain.  
He was another problem, Usagi realized sluggishly.  
She may love Mamoru, but Tuxedo Kamen had a way of making her   
heat trip.  
What was a girl to do?  
When the images of Tuxedo Kamen and Chiba Mamoru blurred,   
then molded to make one man, Usagi shot strait up in bed.  
"Oh. My. God……"  
  
  
Usagi impatiently tapped her foot against the carpeted floor.  
Where was he?  
She rapped her fist against the door for the third time and   
cursed.  
It was seven in the morning, who the heck left the house   
before seven in the morning?  
  
Usagi banged on the door a few more times.  
It seemed as though with each rap of the door her heart sunk   
a little more.  
  
"Damn." She rolled her stiff shoulders and hung her head.  
Where could he be?!  
She stomped away from Mamoru's apartment door looking far   
from defeated.   
  
She had to be mistaken.  
Mamoru wasn't, in anyway shape or form, Tuxedo Kamen.   
It was preposterous to even consider the possibility for   
anything over the sane limit of two seconds.  
Mamoru was…… Mamoru………  
  
There was *no* way he was Tuxedo Kamen. Just no way.  
Usagi stormed up to the elevator and punched at the buttons   
impatiently.  
  
Okay, so maybe they looked alike.   
Maybe she even had a similar reaction to the both of them,   
but that hardly meant that, that… Mamoru was Tuxedo Kamen…  
  
Usagi glared at the elevator doors with contempt.  
Open darn you! I don't have all day!  
Impatiently she hopped from foot to foot.  
  
If she could just find him and work this all out……  
"Usagi?" Her thoughts were immediately cutoff as the elevator   
doors opened to reveal the one and only Chiba Mamoru.  
  
"Err…" What had she come here for again?  
"M… Mamoru-kun…"  
He looked, wild. A little rumpled and… Whoa!   
When did Mamoru-san start making her go weak in the knees?   
Wasn't that Tuxedo Kamen's department?  
Mamoru smiled at her. Actually smiled!  
  
"I, uh… wasn't expecting to see you here…"  
Usagi nodded dumbly before giving herself a hard shove in the   
right direction.  
"Err, I yeah. I wouldn't have either."  
Mamoru grinned and managed to look absolutely stunning in   
that God awful green blazer of his.   
  
"I'm actually pretty glad you stopped by though."   
He continued in that ever so neutral tone of his.  
"Oh." Why was she so nervous all of the sudden?  
This was Mamoru for Peat's sake. M-a-m-o-r-u…  
  
"Yeah. Could we talk?"   
Quick! Say no! What were you thinking coming here?  
Good God girl! You kissed the man less then a week ago and you   
show up on his doorstep?   
Err, elevator doorstep… Well, it's still a doorstep!  
Mamoru was currently stepping out of said elevator and edging   
her towards his apartment door.  
  
"Uh.. You know! I , erm.. I was just at this cute little   
cappuccino serving cafe.   
We could talk there?"   
And I could run far, far away the moment you turn your back………  
  
Mamoru lifted one perfectly elegant brow and motioned to his   
apartment door.  
"I have a cappuccino maker if you're in the mood for it."  
Usagi giggled nervously, a reflex she'd never quite outgrown.  
  
"Nah, I already had two. I'm good."  
Mamoru nodded dumbly.   
"You look grounded." He pointed out conversationally.  
"No bouncing off the walls and whatnot."  
God! I'm in love with a man that uses words like… Whatnot…  
It was………cute!  
  
"Yeah, I hold my caffeine fairly well."  
"Always a good trait."  
  
Mamoru unlocked his front door and motioned for Usagi to enter.  
Feeling trapped, she did so carefully.  
He had a nice apartment, she thought offhandedly.  
It was large and well organized if sparsely furnished.  
The theme was simply blue and green.  
Not light pansy colors but deep rich ones that sang a man   
lived here.  
  
Mamoru walked in and went strait to the kitchen, leaving her   
to dawdle about.  
  
"I've been trying to get a hold of you these past few days,"   
he called to her from the kitchen.  
Glancing from said kitchen door to the door that would lead   
to freedom, she made herself relax.  
  
He wouldn't bite… Err, at least she didn't think he'd bite.  
Usagi frowned a little. Who was she trying to kid?   
Mamoru would bite and bite hard, that's why she respected him   
as well as loathed him, loved him. Damn it!  
Why couldn't she just stick to one emotion at a time?  
If it was going to be fear, then so be it.   
If it was going to be lust or love, then so be it.  
Why make it everything else as well?   
Why did she always have to feel as though half the puzzle was   
missing with him?  
And why did she suddenly feel she'd just found that other half?  
  
When Mamoru strolled out of the kitchen she felt her heart   
stop, then kick back up.   
How did he do that? How did he manage to turn her on and freak   
her out at the same time?  
Carrying in two coffee mugs, he handed her one and sat down on   
the couch.  
  
"So, where you been hiding?"  
He asked it so easily that she almost told him.  
"Hiding?"   
Mamoru nodded, obviously he'd already guessed she'd deny it.  
"Yeah, you know. Hiding."  
She made a sound in her throat.   
Something akin to laughter, and sipped her drink.  
For a moment she was startled when a cool, punchy liquid   
landed on her tongue.  
"Ice tea." He informed her.   
Then, as an after thought, added "decaffeinated."  
She nodded and sipped again.   
Caffeine probably wouldn't have helped much anyway.  
  
"I wasn't hiding. Just been busy." Her tart reply had his lips   
curving upward.  
"R-i-g-h-t. Busy…"  
  
His own reply had her easing into a chair.  
At least he was teasing her.  
Albeit, it was more friendly and a little flirtatious,   
but teasing non the less.  
  
"Well, I have places to go, too. People to see."  
"Of course you have.   
It was just a coincidence that all this pressing   
business came up right after you kissed me."   
Usagi turned as red as Rei's beloved cranberry sweater.   
  
"Are you going to tell me you didn't kiss me?"  
His simple question had her slouching in her seat and wondering   
why the hell she was here in the first place.  
Suddenly, when he leaned forward and looked intriguingly   
dangerous, she remembered *exactly* why she'd come.  
  
"I won't deny it. I did kiss you."  
Her hot retort was far from what either of them had expected.  
She didn't look aloof or at all uncomfortable, Mamoru thought.   
She looked a bit annoyed and entirely too lax with her current   
position.  
  
"Well at least we see eye to eye on that."  
Usagi smiled. Something akin to feline, and leaned forward.  
"Oh I'm pretty sure we're on the same level here."  
  
Where had this come from? She wondered idly.  
This aggressive side of her.   
She felt intriguingly womanly in a wondrous sort of way.  
And God, help her if he wasn't doing it unknowingly.  
He was simply sizzling with vibes.   
It was enough to make the hair on the back of your neck stand   
on end.  
At the very least, it was enough to get some kind of response   
from her.  
  
When he merely leaned back in his seat, she scooted up.  
"I think you're right.   
I was hiding, however, I'm done now."   
Mamoru sneered, a look she thoroughly adored.  
"Oh really?" He was thrown, she realized now.  
He'd been expecting the upper hand.  
He hadn't been thinking that she'd be the one giving orders.   
Suddenly, she realized that nothing else mattered.  
Whether she was wrong about Tuxedo Kamen or right, she felt   
something much stronger then simple lust for the man before   
her.  
She wanted Mamoru for more then one reason and it was high   
time she started listening to her heart.  
  
"Mamoru?" She asked suddenly.  
"Hmmm?"  
"I was wondering. What did you think of it?"  
"It?"  
"The kiss. Did you like it?" Her question had him choking on   
his own ice tea.  
Usagi beamed, immensely pleased with his reaction.  
"I'll take that as a yes then."  
"God. What happened to you?" he wanted to know.  
She grinned at him.  
"I think I just realized how dumb we both are, and now I'm   
having some fun at it."  
Mamoru nodded dumbly.  
"Is there anything else you want to ask me."  
She considered a moment. "Yeah, it can wait though.   
I really want to stick to this topic for a little bit."  
Mamoru bit his lower lip and scooted a bit closer to the edge   
of the couch.   
"Me too." "Good!"   
She jumped up from her seat and began to pace.  
  
"We're idiots." She pointed out wisely, causing Mamoru to   
frown and give a grunt of protest.  
"We're idiots because we both tend to overlook the very   
things staring us strait in the face."  
Any protest he might have had died on his lips, she had him   
there.  
  
"Both of us have completely overlooked each other for   
everything but harassment."   
Mamoru felt his lips twitch and did his best to stop it.  
"You have a point."  
  
Suddenly she whirled on him, coming nose to nose before   
stopping.  
"Tell me you don't feel it. Tell me this isn't making you just   
a little dizzy."  
The fact that her lips were a breath away had his head   
going numb.  
Thus preventing any intelligent chatter from escaping his lips.  
  
"Tell me you aren't wondering. Wanting."  
Mamoru met her eyes, blue to blue.  
"I'm not denying anything."  
  
He stood then, unfolding his lanky body from the couch.  
"I'm not denying it because that would make me a coward and a   
liar.   
What about you?"  
  
She snorted. "I'm anything but a coward, or a lair."  
Mamoru sneered, obviously pleased with her answer.  
"Well, that makes this easier then."   
And with that he grabbed her up and caught her lips in a   
searing kiss.  
  
For the second time in her life, Usagi was caught in   
Mamoru's arms.   
And for the second time in her life, she was loving every  
moment of it.  
Like a wanton she wrapped her arms around waist and held on.  
  
She may have had the control over the kiss the last time,   
but Mamoru had taken it this time 'round.  
He swept her up in the kiss.   
Hard and unyielding it swallowed her whole.  
Dark, tantalizing tastes assaulted the senses and fogged the   
brain.  
  
It was amazing! His mouth was like a treasure trove of dark  
delight.  
His own desires were made pleasantly clear as he plundered her  
mouth and pulled her closer.  
Usagi gave a cry of pain when his hands grabbed at her arms.  
Rearing back as though she'd slapped him, he released her.  
  
"What happened?"   
Usagi gasped, still trying to catch her breath.  
"Nothing, just a sore spot."  
Mamoru focused on the arm she was unconsciously favoring.  
  
Frowning he yanked her back into his arms and, ignoring her   
cry of protest, unbuttoned the sleeve and pulled it up her arm.  
  
He hissed and pulled her into the kitchen.  
"How the hell did you do that?!" He wanted to know.  
Mamoru was suddenly *very* angry.  
"How come you don't have any bandages on it?   
Why are you walking around with a first-degree burn untreated?"   
  
Even if Usagi would have answered him she wasn't given the chance.  
He picked her up and set her on the counter like a small child.  
"What's wrong with you're parents?"   
He was still going on as he reached under the kitchen-sink and   
pulled out a first aid kit.  
"Don't they know you can't walk around with that!"  
Usagi went to comment but he silenced her with one look.  
  
"It's not right," he continued.  
"You should have been to the doctor."  
He looked… worried.  
This realization was startling and sweet.  
"I'm fine. It really isn't as bad as it could have been."  
Mamoru studded her arm a bit longer.  
  
"Funny, it looks like some kind of acid did it."  
Usagi frowned as he began to moisten a cloth with alcohol.  
"Did you have an accident in chemistry class?"  
He was slowly connecting the parts, she knew.  
"Nope.   
They banned me from chemistry class some odd months ago."  
  
"Ami then, she have something to do with it?"  
Usagi shook her head. "Nice guess, but no."  
Mamoru gently rubbed the cloth over the burn, causing her to   
yelp in pain.  
"Sorry," he mumbled before blowing on the wound and taking   
the sting out considerably.  
  
"What then?" When he looked up to meet her eyes, he really   
looked.  
He studied her so intently that she squirmed under the   
scrutiny.  
"I know, it takes awhile to get used to it."  
Her comment had his eyes widening slightly.  
"Like I said," she continued.   
"We tend to over look the one thing staring us right in the   
face.   
Isn't that right Tux?"  
Mamoru dropped the cloth to the counter and began to pace.  
"Are you telling me… What are you telling me?"   
  
Usagi rolled her eyes skyward.   
"I'm a really that bad of a Sailor Moon?" she wanted to know.  
"So horrible that you can't even consider it?"  
Mamoru shook his head vigorously.  
  
"I just can't believe it. All this time………"  
Suddenly he turned on her, trapping her between both his arms.  
"How did you know?"  
Usagi shrugged and pulled at her sleeve.  
"No offense, but that mask doesn't cover *that* much."  
Mamoru blew out a breath before kissing her square on the nose.  
  
"I should have known," he said, completely ignoring her quick   
look of surprise.  
"I have the exact same reaction to the both of you."  
Usagi nibbled on her bottom lip a little.  
"What reaction might that be?"  
  
He grinned then, a look that lit up his face.  
"I'm incredibly attracted to the both of you.   
For a little while I wasn't sure if I was losing my mind or   
what."   
Usagi grinned up at him a little.   
"Erm… I should get going. I have class."  
Mamoru frowned over it a moment.  
"We're not finished, you know."   
Usagi smiled. "No. We're not finished."  
"I mean it," Mamoru informed her.  
"I *really* mean it."  
Usagi rolled her shoulders and made a move to jump down from   
the counter. He blocked.  
"God Mamoru, I get it. Not finished, us."  
She was highly uncomfortable with the way he was watching her,  
all intense and intimate.  
  
She couldn't remember anyone ever stripping her to the bone   
with just one look before.  
"You don't mind dishing it out, but you really don't like   
getting it back, do you?"  
His question went unanswered, as he'd expected.  
  
"You pull away too," he informed her.  
"When someone does something, anything, you don't like.   
You pull away."  
Usagi snorted at this. "I do not."  
"What about Jack?" The name had her frowning.  
"What about him?"  
"The moment he tried to push into your life, you pushed him  
out."  
Usagi beamed. "I don't like pushers."  
Mamoru beamed back. "Me neither, but I love to be one."  
Her smile dropped.   
"It's a good thing we're in the talking stage still.   
I'd have had to dump you for that remark."  
Mamoru grinned. "That's the thing, you wouldn't be able to."  
  
Usagi laughed and slapped his shoulder playfully.  
"I beg your pardon?"  
"I'm a *really* good pusher."  
He looked positively proud of this.  
"So?" she wanted to know.  
"So, I'd push you into taking me back, just like I'm going to   
push you into taking me now."  
Usagi's blue eyes flashed and her back straitened.  
"What did you just say?"  
"I'm not going to let you push me away or push me out.   
I know the game, I've played it. You don't stand a chance."  
  
Usagi took a deep breath and wondered why this was more like   
a soap opera then she would have wished.  
"Are you telling me that…"  
"That I want you," he said cutting her off.  
"That I need you. That I've been stupid and you've been stupid   
and that I'm going to put an end to the stupidity this very   
instant."  
  
Was he saying what she thought he was saying?  
"I love you," he continued, not missing a beat.  
"I've loved you since the moment you stepped into my life,   
flying test papers and all."  
Usagi felt her heart stop.   
"You… You…" "Love you," he finished for her.  
"I thought I didn't stand a chance, thought there was no way.   
Thought that no matter what I did I could just kiss any hopes  
goodbye."  
  
Mamoru stopped to beam at her.   
"Honey, I hate to say this but you made one very large error."  
  
When Usagi merely stared, shell-shocked. He continued.  
"You, my dear, kissed me and took off for three days."  
Usagi nodded dumbly.  
"The error wasn't in kissing me, it was in leaving me to think  
it over for three *whole* days.  
I must have talked myself into, and out of love with you a  
bazillion times.   
In the end, however, you are still all I've ever wanted."  
Mamoru shook his head as though in memory.  
  
"I don't care if you push away. I'll push harder.   
I don't care if all you feel is contempt. I'll change that.  
I don't care if you resort to biting and pulling hair.  
Make no mistake Tsukino Usagi, I will get you in the end."  
  
It wasn't so much a threat as a promise.  
Usagi sighed and just stared.   
For the first time in her life, she was completely  
speechless.  
There he stood, beautiful as ever while he confessed his  
feelings in one of the most intriguing ways.  
Well, who was she to disappoint?  
  
Plastering on one of her best, I'm cool and detached looks,  
she hopped down from the counter and made a move toward his cappuccino machine.  
  
Wow, he does have one………  
  
"Why should I take you now?   
After you've successfully made the past year an on again,   
off again, hell every time I've seen you?  
Mamoru frowned and clicked on the cappuccino machine, she had  
been looking at it longingly.  
  
"I wasn't exactly alone in it. If I remember correctly there  
were plenty of times that you drew first blood."   
Usagi nodded and continued to eye the cappuccino machine as   
it made it's cappuccino making noises.  
  
"You started it though."  
The fact that she actually pouted had him grinning.  
"Did I hurt your feelings then, odango?"  
  
"Oh, just be a jerk about it, why don't you."  
Mamoru beamed and wrapped an arm around her waist.  
"Well I'll be. You actually care, don't you darling?"   
"Bite me."  
He laughed then and nuzzled her neck.  
"I'm sorry."  
Usagi rolled her eyes and elbowed him lightly.  
"Your apology was completely tarnished by you're laughter."  
This, of course, had him all but rolling on the floor with his   
tarnished laughter.  
  
"Sorry…" he wheezed out as she stormed out of the kitchen.  
Getting his breath back he rushed into the living room in time  
to catch her before she left the apartment all together.  
  
"Oh, come on. I said I was sorry."  
Usagi glared at him.   
"You laughed. What kind of apology is that?"  
Mamoru made a show of shrugging.  
"Ugh! You're such a man!"  
"Gee, sorry."  
Suddenly, she stopped and laughed at them.  
  
"Is this how it's always going to be between us?"  
Mamoru bit down on his bottom lip thoughtfully.  
"I could change…………"  
"Don't you dare!"   
Her outburst was so unexpected he merely stared.  
"I like you just the way you are."  
  
Grinning now, he moved to take her in his arms.   
"We'll always keep each other on our toes."  
She laughed. "And we'll never be bored."  
"And it doesn't hurt that you're hot."  
She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
"It also helps that I love you."  
Mamoru ran a hand through her hair, all somber now.  
  
"That doesn't hurt at all. Would you mind saying it again?"  
Usagi smiled up at him and laid her head on his shoulder.  
"I suppose, not that you deserve it or anything."  
He laughed a bit and held her close.  
"I'd still really like to hear it. Just once."   
  
Usagi looked up into eyes of the deepest blue and smiled,   
realizing she could get lost in them and wouldn't mind one bit.  
"I love you, Mamo-chan."   
  
************  
  
********  
  
*****  
  
The End.  
  
Now wasn't that sweet enough to trash your teeth?  
I hope so.  
  
Send all your love and devotion to me: Kas!  
KasMiko@aol.com  
  
  
  
Kingen,  
* Kas *  
  
F & M SMR:  
www.geocities.com/shenkosky/mypage.html  
  
AOL Screen Name:  
KasMiko or Kas Miko  
  
AOL E-mail:  
KasMiko@aol.com or Kas Miko@aol.com  
  
  
* 7:33 AM 4/6/01 * 


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